


Day 318

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [318]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:33:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27567547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [318]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257
Kudos: 1





	Day 318

Veri had gone to bed hungry the night before. Her friend, Ferrer, had sprained his ankle a few days ago, running from some Coterie toughs trying to steal his food, so he wasn't making as much money running these days. Veri had shared her food with him the night before, as he had with her countless times before.

She had hopped for a good day but when she woke up to bloodstains on her skirts she gave up that notion. It was not entirely unexpected, she had been having more than just hunger cramps the past few days. When she went to Greta’s stall to rent her shoes for the day, she waited around until the boys had gone. She didn’t even need to say anything; Greta knew what she was after.

Veri, like all the other older girls, wore dark skirts so the bloodstains wouldn’t be different from the grime stains. Still, being a runner while the monthly maleficar was visiting was annoying. Some of the older women would get very ‘helpful’ and hold them up with fussing while everyone else got super uncomfortable. Greta had, even before setting up her shoe rental, offered clean rags for the street-girls that she laundered regularly. 

“I was actually meaning to talk to you anyway,” Greta said as they moved into a part of her shop that was shielded from outside eyes. “I may have found a job for you.”

“I have a job,” Veri said. Every so often someone would come along and try to employ a bunch of them for one job or another. The ones who accepted would either come back exhausted, sometimes beaten and never any richer for it… if they came back at all. Kirkwall’s port made it a favored destination for slavers. 

“This one is different,” Greta insisted. “The Champion is setting up a home for orphans. They’re not ready to let everyone in yet but I got word he’s looking for someone about your age to work as an apprentice potter.”

“But I’ve never worked as a potter before,” Veri protested.

“That’s why you’d be an apprentice,” Greta said with a laugh.

“What about Ferrer?” Veri asked. “And the others? Some of them have been relying on me to share my food for the day.”

“We’ll start bringing the others in soon,” Greta said. “All that we can anyway. You’ll be working under a master potter from Wycome and we need to impress him if we want him to stay. I know you’re up for it. I’ll make sure the others look after Ferrer until then.”

Veri went back to the building she was sleeping in and collected her few possessions (a doll that belonged to her mother, a change of clothes and a broken button a very dottery old woman had paid her with instead of a coin one time,) said goodby to Ferrer, and followed Greta’s directions to the foundry turned orphanage. There were a lot of workmen ongoing in and out caring supplies and rubble. After asking around she was directed to Master Gabriel. He was a very old human with kindly eyes and soft hands.

“Who are you?” he demanded.

“Veri, Master Gabriel,” she said with an awkward curtsy.

“Very what?”

“Veri is my name.”

Gabriel gave a dismissive snort.

“Some sort of elvish name I guess.”

“I suppose,” Veri replied. It had been years since ‘elf’ had been an important part of her identity. It hadn’t occurred to her before that her ears might make her unsuitable in someone’s eyes.

“Where’s that accent from?” he asked. Apparently they were done talking about her elfyness

“I was born in Ferelden but I think my accent had shifted since we got here.”

“You came alone?”

“My mother brought me during the Blight, but she disappeared and left me alone.”

“Ah.” Master Gabriel went quiet for a moment. “Do you know your way around the city well?”

“I was a runner before this,” she said. “I can get from anywhere to anywhere in less than two hours. Less than an hour if I'm going from high to low.”

“Good,” Master Gabriel said. “They gave me a list of clay suppliers in Kirkwall for me to inspect but your stupid city is impossible to navigate. I'm too old to wander around lost for hours. Who designed this place.”

“The magisters,” Veri said. “It’s confusing to make it harder for slaves to escape.”

“Right, well your first task as my apprentice, Veri, is to guide me to each of these places.” He held up a list of addresses. “Do you know anything about clay?”

“It… comes from the ground?” Veri ventured.

“As good a place as any to start I suppose,” Master Gbariel said. He grabbed a cane in his right hand and reached for Veri’s hand with his right. “By the end of today you’ll know more than you ever thought possible.”


End file.
